3.1 The government Systematic, nationwide evidence confirms that the state in Uzbekistan is acting in violation of national law, constitutional law and international human rights law when it executes the compulsory acquisition of real property and evicts homeowners and businesses and deprives farmers of their land tenure and livelihoods. These serious human rights violations are now well publicised owing to the work of residents, activists and journalists. Government bodies have been systematically alerted to the abuses taking place, and to date there has been no substantive action by the Mirziyoyev government to stop them. Accordingly, the activities undertaken by the state constitute egregious violation of its national laws and international human rights obligations. The state in Uzbekistan should, therefore, initiate a significant and rapid set of reforms at paradigmatic scale similar to the effort invested in eradicating stateorganised forced labour in the cotton sector over the past seven years. These actions ought to include the measures detailed below. 60 A False Sense of Legality 3.1.1 Stop compulsory acquisition for commercial development projects a) Adopt a decree halting the seizure of land and homes for the benefit of commercial interests, whether directly or indirectly. By directly we mean a decree that bans the compulsory acquisition of privately owned or leased property for a private development. By indirectly we mean a provision that prohibits seizure of land for the state land fund with a view to then distributing it to private commercial projects. b) Implement UN guidelines requiring that states prohibit forced evictions in law. c) Place a temporary moratorium on the compulsory or “voluntary” acquisition of private property from residents and businesses as well as “voluntary” land lease terminations by state authorities, until such time as a roadmap of reforms has been implemented that substantively protects the rights and interests of affected parties. d) Abandon forced crop placement and state-set quotas for cotton, grain and silk. Empower farmers to participate in a free-market economy and grow crops of their choosing without threat of penalty.